ASHEVILLE, N.C. (828newsNOW) — Cameron Lee McCullough, 34, was sentenced in Buncombe County Superior Court to a mandatory prison term of 240-348 months after pleading guilty to felony sexual exploitation of a minor.

McCullough was sentenced by Judge Alan Z. Thornburg around 2:55 p.m., Monday, June 29, at Buncombe County Courthouse. McCullough plead guilty to first degree statutory sex offense, a Class B1 felony offense, and third degree sexual exploitation of a minor, a Class H felony offense. The latter charge sanctions the possession of child pornography, which was discovered during an investigation into the statutory offense.

According to the Buncombe County District Attorney’s Office, Thornburg imposed the maximum sentence for McCullough’s offense. Throughout the presentation of the case, prosecutors worked closely with the victim’s family, who appeared in court to advocate that the maximum sentence be imposed and “expressed satisfaction with the judgment.”

During the sentencing, McCullough was ordered to comply with “lifetime sex offender registration requirements and submit to lifetime satellite-based monitoring (SBM) upon his release from state custody,” according to a Buncombe County DA’s Office press release.

The inciting incident for the trial was a March 11, 2025, sexual assault at a North Asheville public park. The Buncombe County DA’s Office stated no additional details will be released, “in respect of the minor victim’s privacy and to prevent further trauma.”